According to College Board nearly half of fulltime students attend college with prices around $9,000 a year, the other half attend schools at around $35,000 a year. This may seem intimidating but whether saving for your education or your child’s, these are steps you can take towards keeping financially fit and avoiding the damper of student loans:

• Grants:  You never have to pay a grant back, and just for the Pell Grant alone (one of the most popular grants) the max payout for 2010-2011 school year was $5,550. For more information about applying for Financial Aid click here.
• 529 Plan: Nothing beats the old fashioned method of stashing away some extra cash. 529 Plans are not ordinary savings accounts so it’s important to check with a financial advisor to make sure it’s right for you and your family.
• Coverdell Education savings Accounts: A common concern with a 529 plan is that it’s exposed to market risk and can actually decrease in value. Coverdell’s are similar to IRAs and not at risk for market fluctuation. A few things to keep in mind, the max contribution per year is $2,000 and Contributions to a Coverdell ESA are not deductible, but amounts deposited in the account grow tax free until distributed.

Paying for college can be a scary thing, but the longest marathon begins with a single step! How did you make the grade? Share your tips and tricks in comments or through the forum.
The mint makes it first, it’s up to you to make it last.

-Jainie-

Cutting a few extra calories can add up to pounds lost, but cutting a few pennies adds up to dollars saved. Here are some tools you can use to help trim a few dollars off your bottom line.

• RetailMeNot.com –Have you ever purchased something online and at check-out you see the box asking for a coupon code? Head over to RetailMeNot.com and you may get free shipping or even 10-20% off your purchase. They also have printable coupons and grocery coupons.
  


• Groupon.com –Using a city or zip code you provide, Groupon shows you local “Deals of the Day.” With up to 50% discounts on everything from food to exercise classes, it never hurts to check this site out. Mobile apps are available that allow you to buy from your phone and use it as the coupon. LivingSocial.com and DailyDeals.com are other great sites like Groupon.


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  RedLaser.com – RedLaser is a free application for iPhone and Android users. With this app you can scan the barcode or QR code of any product using your smart phone’s camera and compare prices to online and local stores around you. You can also check food allergens and nutritional facts as well as scanning the barcode of most books and locating a copy of it in a nearby library.

These are just a few of the tools I use to spend smart. What are some tools or strategies in your arsenal? Let us know in the forums!